According to a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey, U.S. road travel dropped dramatically in spring 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The New American Driving Survey discovered that in April, daily personal car trips dropped 45 percent, and trips by all modes of transportation fell 40 percent.
Daily trips for all modes of transportation dropped from 3.7 trips per day in 2019 to 2.2 trips. While they rebounded in May and June, they remained at approximately 20 percent to 25 percent below 2019 levels for the rest of the year.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our commute habits and patterns in the United States,” Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, said. “Findings based on our survey data provided some contextual information to understand better how this unfortunate event has affected the way we travel.”
In the early days of the pandemic, travel reductions were greatest among those 65 and older and those between 16 and 24. Later in the year, reductions affected all age groups.
In 2020, 38,680 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an approximately 7.2 percent increase from 2019.